_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/ /// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Morrigan ::\ :: Album :: Anwynn :: :: Year :: 2022 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . :: :: Label :: Werewolf Records R.date :: 2024-10-08 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: EVIL-087 S.date :: 2022-06-24 __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 253kbps :.. . Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo . . Size :: 100.39MB . . . http://www.deezer.com/album/324700947 __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 1. Anwynn (Intro) 2:43 :: :: 2. Herald of the Sleep 7:02 :: :: 3. White as Snow 7:23 :: :: 4. Blind Witch 4:03 :: :: 5. Feoladaire 6:07 :: :: 6. Taech Duinn 8:30 :: :: 7. Rome 5:40 :: :: 8. Ivy 8:04 :: :: 9. Arawn (Outro) 2:32 :: :: :: :: :: :: ------- :: .. >> 52:04 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: A wash of water tossed upon a slab in proffer of divine :: :: adventure. ù Returning for their eighth album and first in nine :: :: years Gro▀bettlingen, Germany-borne (and I believe now :: :: Finland-based) epic/pagan black metal duo Morrigan have :: :: weathered the overcast skies and dead-eyed masses of today with :: :: admirable strength upheld as they reappear out of thinnest air :: :: with what could be considered a great work in æAnwynnæ. Shining :: :: the light of the otherworld in the eyes of we falsest loathers :: :: by compare with no complacency or torpor in their craft, this :: :: auld legendry force return wisened and inspired perhaps more :: :: than ever with this fine if not entirely niche craft mastered :: :: in the old tradition. :: :: :: :: Morrigan is the essential continuation of Mayhemic Truth, a :: :: black metal band thatÆd formed between two southern German :: :: fellowes in 1992 as they produced an irregular, tumultuous :: :: variety of recordings Ætil 1999 wherein their style went from :: :: Samael-esque black/doom with what IÆd consider death metal :: :: vocals on æSon of Dawnæ (1993) to a sound which was pulled :: :: directly from late 80Æs Bathory by the time guitarist, :: :: vocalist, bassist and lyricist Beliar had evolved his vision to :: :: suit evolving capabilities and tastes. Chances are if you :: :: arenÆt the sort of dick who snubs your nose at German black :: :: metal and enjoy groups like Ungod an Martyrium youÆve likely at :: :: least heard the æIn Memoriamæ (1999) compilation which isolated :: :: the final stage of the band before splitting up. You wonÆt find :: :: any original writing on the situation beyond this point, from :: :: yours truly or otherwise, since the reunited state of Beliar :: :: and drummer Balor (Blizzard) produced elite and unabashed :: :: Bathory worship from that point on starting with their :: :: incredible first album (æPlague, Waste and Deathæ, 2001) :: :: serving as the bandÆs ideation of æBlood Fire Deathæ and the :: :: well-underrated æEnter the Sea of Flamesæ (2002) acting as a :: :: first stomp towards the æHammerheartæ-era vikingr (but still :: :: black metal) side of the band, to the delight of anyone whoÆd :: :: been keen enough on Barbarian Wraith releases of that era. :: :: :: :: The original fire stoked between the two musicians would expand :: :: and contract in terms of line-up over the course of four more :: :: full-length albums (and a split with heralded Nocternity) in :: :: the space of four years. Now, most folks will prattle on about :: :: how æCeltsæ (2003) was their full transition into viking/black :: :: metal, or, Celtic mythos themed pagan metal as it actually were :: :: but this is the result of short attention spans or foggy :: :: memories because the harsh, thrashing fray of their sound took :: :: some time to transition away. æHeadcultæ (2005) dealt in much :: :: more atmosphere and emphasized clean-sung vocals much in the :: :: vein of Graveland of a similar era but theyÆd never truly :: :: fallen to the easy-listening sort of Falkenbach side of things, :: :: eh, which is not a derogatory observation in either direction, :: :: until they were a couple of albums into their Undercover :: :: Records partnership. As a fan of everything Quorthon-esque IÆd :: :: discovered the band through their first couple of albums and :: :: the aforementioned split just prior to their return with :: :: æDiananns Whisperæ in 2013 and thatÆd be the right album to set :: :: the expectations for æAnwynnæ in terms of stoic, atmospheric :: :: and largely slow to mid-paced viking metal hymnals heavily :: :: inspired by the melodramatic, humble bardic tradition of :: :: æTwilight of the Godsæ. If youÆd already had your fill of Æem :: :: in the late 2000Æs or didnÆt like the rawness of the previous :: :: album there may yet be plenty magick to be regaled with here :: :: quite a few years later on what could consider a strong :: :: application of the wisdom afforded by time. :: :: :: :: Ah, and by that I mean Beliar has refined his clean vocals, :: :: expanded his use of harmonization and stretched the tuneful :: :: limits of his timbre without losing the sombre overstretched :: :: yarning of Quorthon ever in mind. Synths are a bit bigger and :: :: atmospherically set, æcleanÆ guitar tones often accentuate epic :: :: melodies with the rhythm guitars hanging beneath and as far as :: :: IÆve gathered the only big change to staff since 2014 is the :: :: addition of drummer Impudicus (Totalselfhatred, ex-Ordinance) :: :: whom is nimble by direct comparison with Baloræs :: :: thresher-whipped, aggressive style. YouÆll still need to be the :: :: sort of fellowe who loves Bathoryæs cinema-minded, grandiose :: :: viking metal classics as prerequisite to sign up for the :: :: experience, though, I mean you arenÆt going to make it through :: :: the double-epic feature of ôHerald of the Sleepö and (my :: :: favorite song of the lot) ôWhite as Snowö if youÆre no friend :: :: of this very specific vocal style, though we do find some :: :: tempered use of deeper growls and rasping narrative throughout. :: :: :: :: With ôBlind Witchö and ôFeoladaireö hitting in the crucial :: :: midway point on the full listen it begins to feel like Beliar :: :: is taking stock of what Morrigan did best in the momentum of :: :: their first several years beyond Mayhemic Truthæs 1996 demo as :: :: these songs feel like a step back into the realization of those :: :: efforts on æEnter the Sea of Flamesæ. These songs showcase some :: :: of the aforementioned wisdom in action as the artist can still :: :: burn through an beauteous epic/pagan metal piece while giving :: :: their raw, aggressive side a proper vikingr spin, leaving a :: :: unique dent in mind with their efforts. This is the point where :: :: Morrigan begin to convince me that theyÆve taken a worthy step :: :: taken beyond æDiananns Whisperæ and, as we push on to Side B, :: :: the verdict becomes that for my own taste this is the best :: :: release from the band since æHeadcultæ. :: :: :: :: Though I donÆt have the lyric sheet or more than a basic :: :: understanding of what æAnwynnæ dictates within its larger :: :: narrative, I have spent a couple of months re-reading through :: :: Middle-Welsh epics/collections the Mabinogion and the Book of :: :: Taliesin this year, so, references to Ceridwen, Donn and the :: :: general Celtic otherworld mythos are clear enough in the :: :: albumÆs exploration of the ôafterlife.ö Where this narrative :: :: comes to life most (again, without lyrics) is in the final :: :: third of the running order where a consistent æepicÆ viking :: :: metal thread is woven through ôTaech Duinnö, ôRomeö and closer :: :: ôIvyö with the melodicism and performative values appear to :: :: double with each piece. These songs do not feature a strong raw :: :: black metal notion in mind, erring toward the ethereally :: :: striding sort of pace as they explore the ever-aggrandizing :: :: statements of this traditional early 90Æs viking metal sound :: :: yet the melodies of ôIvyö do take us to a peak send-off :: :: statement, a truly bardic piece in terms of its folken vocal :: :: narrativeÆs inspired dance of melody. At this high point of :: :: performance we find æAnwynnæ stepping beyond a rad :: :: Bathory-alike procession and into a passionate work which :: :: stands to justify all of the hammering away which Morrigan have :: :: been doing since long before this æepicÆ style had held any :: :: water within all but the smallest niche ear. :: :: :: :: As a listening experience the major thirds of æAnwynnæ ease in :: :: their challenge of amateur-yet-earnest metal fortitude in :: :: diminish. The opening moments which set up the opus of it all :: :: represent a jarring return to this sound, which very few ever :: :: get even nearly this right, and the middle/later thirds of the :: :: tracklist warm to the touch with their inspiration. A death :: :: Ætil otherworld experience in truth and, much like æDiananns :: :: Whisperæ a decade ago, IÆd found it a bit na∩ve upon :: :: introduction and moving in its finish with the compulsion to :: :: listen on repeat only intensifying over time for the sake of :: :: (again) next to nothing æproperÆ being done to this standard in :: :: this style. Anyhow, something especially fine and inspired for :: :: the true Bathory cult and likely nobody else. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2024 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :